Chapter I: Front Matter

NARRATIVE
OF
MY CAPTIVITY
AMONG THE
SIOUX INDIANS.

BY
FANNY KELLY.

WITH A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF GENERAL SULLY’S INDIAN EXPEDITION IN 1864,
BEARING UPON EVENTS OCCURRING IN MY CAPTIVITY.

CINCINNATI:
WILSTACH, BALDWIN & CO., PRINTERS,
NO. 143 RACE STREET,
1871.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by
FANNY KELLY,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
STEREOTYPED AT THE FRANKLIN TYPE FOUNDRY, CINCINNATI.

_DEDICATION._

TO THE

Officers and Soldiers of the Eleventh Ohio Cavalry,

FOR THEIR
PERSISTENT AND DARING
EFFORTS TO AID MY HUSBAND IN
EFFECTING MY RESCUE;
AND TO THE

Officers and Soldiers of the Sixth Iowa Cavalry,

FOR KINDNESS
SHOWN ME AFTER MY RANSOM
AND RETURN TO FORT SULLY, THIS
NARRATIVE IS AFFECTIONATELY
DEDICATED BY

THE AUTHOR.

INTRODUCTORY.

The summer of 1864 marked a period of unusual peril to the daring pioneers seeking homes in the far West. Following upon the horrible massacres in Minnesota in 1862, and the subsequent chastisements inflicted by the expeditions under Generals Sully and Sibley in 1863, whereby the Indians were driven from the then western borders of civilization, in Iowa, Minnesota, and the white settlements of Dakota, in the Missouri Valley, the great emigrant trails to Idaho and Montana became the scene of fresh outrages; and, from the wild, almost inaccessible nature of the country, pursuit and punishment were impossible.

I was a member of a small company of emigrants, who were attacked by an overwhelming force of hostile Sioux, which resulted in the death of a large proportion of the party, in my own capture, and a horrible captivity of five months’ duration.

Of my thrilling adventures and experience during this season of terror and privation, I propose to give a plain, unvarnished narrative, hoping the reader will be more interested in facts concerning the habits, manners, and customs of the Indians, and their treatment of prisoners, than in theoretical speculations and fine-wrought sentences.

Some explanation is due the public for the delay in publishing this my narrative. From memoranda, kept during the period of my captivity, I had completed the work for publication, when the manuscript was purloined and published; but the work was suppressed before it could be placed before the public. After surmounting many obstacles, I have at last succeeded in gathering the scattered fragments; and, by the aid of memory, impressed as I pray no mortal’s may ever be again, am enabled to place the results before, I trust, a kind-judging, appreciative public.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. Page

Early History—Canada to Kansas—Death of my Father—My
Marriage—“Ho! for Idaho!”—Crossing the Platte
River—A Storm, 11

CHAPTER II.

The Attack and the Capture, 19

CHAPTER III.

My Husband’s Escape—Burial of the Dead—Arrival of the
Survivors at Deer Creek—An ill-timed Ball, 28

CHAPTER IV.

Beginning of my Captivity, 37

CHAPTER V.

Plan for Little Mary’s Escape—Tortures of
Uncertainty—Unsuccessful Attempt to Escape, 45

CHAPTER VI.

Continuation of our March into the Wilderness—Suffering from
Thirst and Weariness—Disappearance of my Fellow-prisoner—Loss
of the old Chief’s Pipe, and its Consequences to me—A Scene of
Terror, 49

CHAPTER VII.

Powder River—Another Attempt to Escape—Detection and Despair—A
Quarrel—My Life saved by “Jumping Bear,” 62

CHAPTER VIII.

The Storm—Arrival at the Indian Village—The old Chief’s
Wife—Some Kindness shown me—Attend a Feast, 72

CHAPTER IX.

Preparations for Battle—An Indian Village on the Move—Scalp
Dance—A Horrible Scene of Savage Exultation—Compelled to join
the Orgies—A Cause of Indian Hostility—Another Battle with
the White Troops—Burial of an Indian Boy—A Hasty
Retreat—Made to act as Surgeon of the Wounded—Mauve Terre, or
Bad Lands, 92

CHAPTER X.

Mourning for the Slain—Threatened with Death at the Fiery
Stake—Saved by a Speech from Ottawa—Starving Condition of the
Indians, 106

CHAPTER XI.

Meet another White Female Captive—Sad Story of Mary Boyeau—A
Child Roasted, and its Brains Dashed out—Murder of Mrs.
Fletcher—Five Children Slaughtered—Fate of their Mother, 112

CHAPTER XII.

First Intimation of my Little Mary’s Fate—Despair and
Delirium—A Shower of Grasshoppers—A Feast and a Fight—An
Enraged Squaw—The Chief Wounded, 120

CHAPTER XIII.

Arrival of “Porcupine”—A Letter from Captain Marshall—Hopes of
Rescue—Treachery of the Messenger—Egosegalonicha—The Tables
Turned—Another Gleam of Hope—The Indian “White
Tipi”—Disappointed—A White Man Bound and left to Starve—A
Burial Incident, 129

CHAPTER XIV.

Lost in the Indian Village—Black Bear’s White Wife—A small Tea
Party—The White Boy-captive, Charles Sylvester—The Sun
Dance—A Conciliating Letter from General Sibley—A Puzzle of
Human Bones—The Indian as an Artist—I Destroy a Picture and
am Punished with Fire-brands—A Sick Indian, 136

CHAPTER XV.

Preparing the Chi-cha-cha, or Killikinnick—Attack on Captain
Fisk’s Emigrant Train—Fourteen Whites Killed—A big Haul of
Whisky—A Drunken Debauch—I write a Letter to Captain Fisk
under dictation—Poisoned Indians—The Train saved by my
Clerical Strategy, 147

CHAPTER XVI.

Scenes on Cannon Ball Prairie—Reflections, 154

CHAPTER XVII.

A Prairie on Fire—Scenes of Terror, 159

CHAPTER XVIII.

Last days with the Ogalalla Sioux—Massacre of a Party returning
from Idaho—A Woman’s Scalp—A Scalp Dance—Suspicious
Circumstance—Arrival of Blackfeet Indians—Negotiations for my
Ransom—Treachery, 164

CHAPTER XIX.

Indian Customs, 175

CHAPTER XX.

An Indian tradition—Arrival at the Blackfeet Village—An offer
to purchase me indignantly rejected—A Yankton attempts my
Capture, 191

CHAPTER XXI.

Appearance of Jumping Bear—I prevail on him to carry a Letter to
the Fort—A War Speech—Intended Treachery—Resume our Journey
to the Fort—Singular Meeting with a White Man—“Has Richmond
Fallen?”—Arrival at the Fort—I am Free! 199

CHAPTER XXII.

Retrospection—A Border Trading post—Garrison Hospitality—A
Visit from the Commandant of Fort Rice—Arrival of my
Husband—Affecting Scene, 212

CHAPTER XXIII.

Sad Fate of Little Mary, 218

CHAPTER XXIV.

What occurred at Fort Laramie after my Capture—Efforts to
Rescue—Lieutenant Brown killed—Reward offered—It is the
Means of restoring another White Woman and Child—Her Rescuers
hung for Former Murders—A Letter announcing my Safe Arrival at
Fort Sully, 223

CHAPTER XXV.

Supper in Honor of our Re-union—Departure from Fort
Sully—Incidents by the way—Arrival at Geneva—Mother and
Child—A Happy Meeting, 228

CHAPTER XXVI.

Elizabeth Blackwell—Mormon Home—A brutal Father—The Mother
and Daughters flee to the Mountains—Death of the Mother and
Sisters from exposure—Elizabeth saved by an Indian—A White
Woman tortured—Rescued Children—The Boxx Family—Capture of
Mrs. Blynn, 238

CHAPTER XXVII.

Move to Wyoming—False Friends—The Manuscript of my Narrative
taken by another party and published—I go to Washington, 250

CHAPTER XXVIII.

General Sully’s Expedition, 255

POEM TO MRS. FANNIE KELLY, 268

CERTIFICATE OF INDIAN CHIEFS, 270

CERTIFIED COPIES OF MY CORRESPONDENCE WITH CAPTAIN FISK, 274

STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT G. A. HESSELBERG, 279

STATEMENT OF OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE SIXTH IOWA CALVARY, 282

CAPTIVITY AMONG THE SIOUX.